WHAT WE DO

As an agency of the Fairfax County Health and Human Services System, we work to protect, promote and improve health and quality of life for all who live, work and play in our community. We do this by preventing epidemics and the spread of disease, protecting the public against environmental hazards, promoting and encouraging healthy behaviors, assuring the quality and accessibility of health services, responding to natural and man-made disasters, and assisting communities in recovery. Our vision is for all Fairfax County residents to live in thriving communities where every person has the opportunity to be healthy, safe and realize his or her potential.

Health Department News

Environmental health specialists from Fairfax County are among those being deployed to the U.S. Virgin Islands to assist with the long-term recovery efforts from hurricanes Irma and Maria.
Virginia will send two Environmental Health strike teams to the islands this weekend. The teams, deployed through the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), also include specialists from Virginia Department of Health and Henrico, Roanoke, Three Rivers and Alexandria health districts. The group from Fairfax includes five environmental health specialists, including one who is also a registered nurse.
The deployment is in response to an EMAC request from the Virgin Islands for strike teams to assist with identifying, monitoring, assessing and mitigating environmental health hazards. Members of the teams are expected to depart for the islands of St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix on Feb. 11 and return on Feb. 27.
Working with local officials, the teams will conduct inspections of food service establishments and other regulated facilities and provide education on environmental health and sanitation issues on the islands.
Environmental health specialists have been deployed before to assist with critical public health issues like food and water safety during emergencies, but this is the first time a team from Fairfax has been activated.
“We are excited and honored to be able to provide assistance to areas affected by those devastating storms,” said Dr. Gloria Addo-Ayensu, Fairfax Health Director. “I want to thank the members of our team for their compassionate service. I know they will provide to the residents and visitors of the U.S. Virgin Islands the same professionalism and high quality service to which the citizens of the Fairfax have come to expect.
“We wish them a safe and successful journey.”
More information on this deployment can be found at the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
Team Composition, with Fairfax County members highlighted:
Environmental Health Specialists Isaac Robertson, Ron Campbell, John Yetman and Lois Maisel from Fairfax. Not pictured: Ebonie Miller.St. Thomas/St. John District Team
John Yetman (Fairfax County Environmental Health Supervisor)
Lois Maisel (Fairfax County Environmental Health Specialist)
Ebonie Miller (Fairfax County Environmental Health Specialist)
David Geeson (Office of Environmental Health Services Environmental Health Manager)
Monae Holifield (Chesapeake Health District Environmental Health Specialist Sr.)
Kirsten Dobson (Richmond City Health District Environmental Health Specialist Sr.)
Todd Grubbs (Office of Environmental Health Services Environmental Heath Coordinator)
St. Croix District Team
Deborah Hoy (Office of Drinking Water Environmental Health Consultant)
Jerene Beyer (Henrico Health District Environmental Health Specialist Sr.)
Isaac Robertson (Fairfax County Environmental Heath Specialist)
Ron Campbell (Fairfax County Environmental Health Specialist Sr.)
Kendra Washington (Alexandria Health District Environmental Health Specialist Sr.)
Tiffany Johnson (Alexandria Health District Environmental Health Specialist)

Ten county eateries recognized for outstanding food safety practices
The Fairfax County Health Department has announced the winners of its 14 Carrot Gold Food Safety Excellence Award for 2017.
Ten local food service operations, including two catering companies, two fast-casual Mexican restaurants, a local high school, a Fortune 500 company café, a grocery store, and a group home for girls, are being recognized for maintaining outstanding food safety practices and employee education. This year’s winners were selected from the more than 3,400 permitted establishments inspected each year by environmental health specialists with the Health Department.
The 2017 recipients of the Fairfax County Health Department’s 14 Carrot Gold Food Safety Excellence Award are:
Annandale High School, 4700 Medford Dr., Annandale.
Atrium Catering &amp; Event Design, 263 Sunset Park Dr., Herndon.
Aurora House Girls Group Home, 420 South Maple Ave., Falls Church.
Five Guys Burgers and Fries, 8971 Ox Road, Lorton.
FLIK at Freddie Mac HQ4 Café, 1551 Park Run Dr., McLean.
Moe’s Southwest Grill, 5005 Westone Plaza, Chantilly.
Qdoba, 10338 Main St., Fairfax.
Ruby Tuesday, 7692 Richmond Highway, Alexandria.
Simply Elegant, 11600 Sunrise Valley Dr., Reston.
Wegman’s Food Markets, 11620 Monument Dr., Fairfax.
We instituted this awards program to recognize food service facilities that place a high importance on food safety practices and policies, said Environmental Health Director Pieter Sheehan. While every food service facility is required to meet minimum food safety requirements, these ten establishments are to be commended for going above and beyond to safeguard their patrons from the risks of foodborne illness.
In receiving the award, Robert Henry with Wegman’s Food Markets noted: Food safety is more than our mission — it is the beacon that guides our day.
Food service establishments can be nominated for the award by members of the food service industry, the public, or from health inspectors. An awards team from the Health Department reviews the nominations and selects winners. Awardees receive a plaque and recognition in the Department’s newsletter and website.
To be eligible for consideration, recipients of the 14 Carrot Gold awards cannot have any critical violations during inspections conducted in the last 24 months, and no more than six non-critical violations in the past year. The facility must also have a valid permit to operate and be in good standing with the Health Department.
The Health Department’s Environmental Health division conducts close to 8,500 site visits at more than 3,400 restaurant and food service establishments annually in Fairfax County and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church. Health inspectors look for potential risk factors that contribute to foodborne illness, such as an unapproved food source, poor food employee hygiene, improper cooking temperatures, inadequate cold and hot holding of food, and cleanliness of food contact surfaces.
The department also reviews food establishment plans; responds to citizen complaints and inquiries; investigates foodborne illness outbreaks to determine the source and to minimize the spread of disease; provides food safety information; and holds food safety trainings and workshops.
For more information about the food safety program or to review inspection reports, visit https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health/food or call 703-246-2444, TTY 711.

Fairfax County’s youth suicide prevention campaign continues to earn national recognition. It was recently given a Berreth Award for Excellence in Public Health Communication by the National Public Health Information Coalition (NPHIC).
The “Reach Out. Find Hope” campaign, a collaboration between the Fairfax County Health Department and its partners at Neighborhood and Community Services and the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board, received a bronze award in the government/non-profit health marketing category of the Berreth Awards. The awards are named for the late Donald Berreth, former director of the Office of Public Affairs for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and NPHIC's founder.
The announcement was made as communication professionals from around the world gathered in Atlanta, Ga., last week for the NPHIC Advance Knowledge Track and the NPHIC/CDC National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing and Media.
“We are extremely proud that the leading national organization for public health communication professionals has recognized our work,” said Health Director Dr. Gloria Addo-Ayensu. “We value effective health communications, and this campaign raises an awareness about a significant public health issue in our community.”
The Berreth award program awards gold, silver and bronze awards for public health campaigns in three categories: Government/Non-profit Health Marketing Campaign, Corporate Health Marketing Campaign and Real Time Risk Communication. A panel of judges from the ranks of those professionals who have achieved Certified Communicator in Public Health status evaluate the submissions for the Berreth Awards.
“As a recipient of a Berreth Award for Excellence in Public Health Communication, you have been recognized by your peers as among the year’s best in public health communication,” said NPHIC President Shelley Walker. “Congratulations on helping NPHIC pursue our common mission to ‘make public health public.’”
To view the winning entries in this year’s awards program, go to https://www.nphic.org/2017ba-entry.
If you or someone you care about may be at risk of suicide, don't hesitate to reach out for help. These resources are available 24/7:
Call Community Services Board Emergency Services at 703-573-5679.
Text "CONNECT" to 855-11 to contact PRS CrisisLink.
Call PRS CrisisLink at 703-527-4077.
In an immediate, life-threatening situation, call 911.

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About the Health & Human Services System

This agency is a part of the Fairfax County Health & Human Services System (HHS). The HHS System is a network of county agencies and community partners that support the well-being of all who live, work and play in Fairfax County.